Experts: Steamy TV, no discussion lead to more STDs

Tuesday

Steamy love scenes in the media, out-of-control libidos and a lack of frank talk in the classroom may be contributing to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in Illinois, health experts say.

Steamy love scenes in the media, out-of-control libidos and a lack of frank talk in the classroom may be contributing to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in Illinois, health experts say.

“Popular culture glamorizes sex,” said Charlie Rabins, chief of the STD program at the Illinois Department of Public Health. “There are very few prevention messages.”

At the same time, financially strapped school districts haven’t had enough resources to teach adolescents about preventing STDs, and when those classroom discussions do happen, contraceptives often are left out in favor of abstinence-only curriculums, he said.

“Abstinence-only is not effective,” he said. “Ultimately, there needs to be a lot more education in the schools.”

According to recently released data, new cases of chlamydia in Illinois reached an all-time high statewide in 2008 — 59,169 — while the number of gonorrhea cases outside Chicago has been rising in recent years and totaled 10,165 in 2008.

Sangamon County’s STD rates — among the highest in the state — increased for chlamydia and dropped slightly for gonorrhea in 2008. There were 1,129 new chlamydia cases and 618 gonorrhea cases.

Teenagers and young adults account for the majority of cases when it comes to these two types of infections — the most common STDs. Females suffer the brunt of the long-term effects, Rabins said.

Untreated chlamydia in women can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and damage to the fallopian tubes. Chlamydia is the leading cause of infertility in the United States, with 40 percent of untreated women becoming infertile, he said.

Gonorrhea also can lead to infertility among women. Infants born to infected mothers can develop a potentially blinding infection, as well as sepsis, arthritis and meningitis.

Both diseases can be treated and cured in women and men with antibiotics, but it can be difficult to slow the spread of the diseases, Rabins said.

For every case that is diagnosed, reported and treated, two or more cases go unreported, he said.

People with chlamydia or gonorrhea — who have symptoms that can include oozing sores and changes in their immune systems — are more likely to become infected with the human immunodeficiency virus when exposed to it, he added.

About 35,000 Illinoisans living with HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome have been diagnosed, and an estimated 200 Sangamon County residents are living with diagnosed cases of HIV or AIDS, according to Public Health data.

A bill awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature might help more people get treated for gonorrhea or chlamydia, Rabins said. Senate Bill 212 would allow what is called “expedited partner therapy,” in which medical professionals who treat patients for gonorrhea or chlamydia can give those patients single-dose antibiotics to pass on to sexual partners without first examining the partners.

Fifteen states already have laws on the books allowing expedited partner therapy.

The bill may reduce the spread of STDs, but won’t help when STD patients don’t know the identifies of their sex partners or don’t care about their welfare, said Don Hunt, director of adult and laboratory services for the Sangamon County Department of Public Health.

“We’re not getting to the people who keep perpetuating it,” he said.

The rates of STDs in the general population appear relatively low — striking less than 1 percent of the population in a given year. But in many counties, studies indicate that as many as one in four teens and young adults have at least one STD, Rabins said.

Among black teens, as many as 50 percent have an STD, he said.

Blacks have much higher STD infection rates than whites, in part because they are more likely to be poor and have lower levels of education, Hunt said.

Because of the relatively small number of cases each year, statistical variations in Sangamon County’s STD rates year to year may not indicate much change in the overall problem locally, Rabins said.

The county’s rates, traditionally among the top 10 in the state, are higher than in surrounding rural counties. It’s not known why the state’s larger counties tend to have the highest STD rates, but Rabins said the situation may have to do with the fact that STDs are more easily passed within social networks when people live in close proximity.

Based on Hunt’s counseling with STD patients, he believes that newer forms of communication — including the Internet and risqué text messaging known as “sexting” — are leading to more risk-taking in the form of cheating and casual sex.

“Sex has been the ‘first date’ for a long time, but technology has given people greater access than before,” he said.

Rabins said public-health clinics funded by the state are screening more than 170,000 people a year for STDs. That work may be hindered somewhat by state budget cuts, although the potential impact on counties isn’t yet clear, Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

Most STDs are diagnosed by private physicians, Rabins and Hunt said, but many sexually active patients aren’t tested for STDs as part of regular checkups.

Public Health is trying to get more doctors and related health-care providers to talk with their patients about STDs, Rabins said.

A 2009 report from Public Health said the estimated direct medical costs of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis — a rarer disease — in Illinoisans 15 to 24 years of age were $71 million in 2006.

“In addition to the economic impact, the surveillance and prevention of STDs is important for a number of reasons, including the high human cost in terms of pain and suffering,” the report said.

Dean Olsen can be reached at (217) 788-1543 or dean.olsen@sj-r.com.

Illinois chlamydia cases and rates in 2008

County Cases Rate per 1,000 population

Sangamon 1,129 5.9

Cass 40 2.9

Champaign 1,259 7.0

Christian 67 1.8

Cook (Chicago alone) 25,465 8.8

Cook (overall) 34,257 6.4

Greene 21 1.4

Logan 118 3.8

McLean 665 4.4

Macon 708 6.2

Macoupin 69 1.4

Menard 21 1.7

Montgomery 60 1.9

Morgan 151 4.1

Peoria 1,417 7.7

Pike 19 1.1

St. Clair 2,284 8.9

Schuyler 8 1.1

Scott 6 1.1

Winnebago 1,540 5.5

Total Illinois 59,169 4.8

Illinois excluding Chicago 33,704 3.5

Source: Illinois Department of Public Health

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